


The Children's Hour

by thecompletebookworm



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A kid really needs friends, Basically ignores everything from season 3 and on, Dealing with adoption, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Incorporates new characters from different fairytales, My own twist on The Snow Queen as I started this before the frozen arch happened, season 1 rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-03-23 00:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3748855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecompletebookworm/pseuds/thecompletebookworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry has always been alone. It's hard to have friends when you're the only one getting any older. Armed with a new storybook, his best friend and the savior, it's up to Henry to find his own happy ending. But how are a bunch of kids supposed to challenge the curse? Season 1 with focus on Henry, Grace and the children of Storybrooke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Paige

Henry trudged to the bus stop. He really didn't want to go to school today. Henry hated the second day of school. It seemed silly to hate the second day, but right now, Henry would rather slay a hundred dragons than go to school.

The first day was always alright. Henry would get excited to use his shiny new pens and write in his new notebooks. He would meet his new teacher and there would be kids he would play with and talk to all day. The kids would say their goodbyes and promise to see him tomorrow.

So far, Henry thought, none of them had kept their promise. On the second day, it was like Henry had never existed. He would have to reintroduce himself to the teacher, and the teacher would typically give him an apology and an it-won't-happen-again look, but Henry knew it would. Henry could play with the same people he had yesterday or find someone else. It didn't matter. Everyone would forget the next day anyway. It was almost as if the same day was repeating over and over again and he was the only one who noticed anything. Last year, he could glance through the window into Miss Thorne's room and see them singing the same song at 11:42 everyday.

Henry knew it would happen. This was how it had always been. He told his Mom when he was little and that was when the visits with Archie had started. Henry had tried to ignore it since. He also tried to ignore the fact that each year he was the only person in the entire school advancing a grade.

The bus pulled up to the curb. Henry heaved his backpack further up on his back, and climbed up the steps. He sat down and set his backpack next to him. This was going to be a long day.

"Can you move your bag?" A girl in his class asked.

Henry tried to hide his amazement. No one had asked to sit next to him yesterday. According to his observations no one had ever changed what they were doing except for him and those he directly impacted.

"So is that a yes? I kinda need a seat. The bus will be moving soon." The girl said drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh yeah. Of course. Sorry," Henry stuttered out and tried to move his bag as quickly as possible. If this strange girl wanted to sit next to him that was fine. It wasn't that she was strange, Henry mentally corrected himself, it was just that she had done something so contradictory to everything he had seen so far in school.

"So Henry what do you think we'll be learning about today? I hope Miss Blanchard lets us go outside. I don't think I could stand to be stuck inside on a day as beautiful as this. I think I'd go mad!" She said all this very quickly and excitedly, not pausing to breathe. Henry gaped at her.

"Is something wrong with my uniform or something? You're a lot quieter than you were yesterday." The girl tugged on her dark blonde hair.

Of course, Henry remembered now. He had sat next to the girl in class yesterday. He couldn't remember her name though. He had really stopped trying to remember people's names. They would always say them again when they reintroduced themselves.

"No. You look fine. It's just I can't remember your name," Henry admitted.

"That's fine. I'm Paige. I'm rubbish with names too. You're just the mayor's kid and I didn't want to get arrested if I got it wrong."

"I don't think you'd get arrested."

Paige gave him a smile and winked. "You can never be too sure."

Henry knew without a doubt that this was the largest he had ever smiled on the second day of school.

* * *

"Are you sure your mom's okay with this?" Paige asked as they walked home after school.

Henry shrugged. "Why wouldn't she be?"

Paige fidgeted slightly, playing with the tasseled ends of her pink scarf. "It's just I don't think she likes me very much."

"Well, she's not going to be home till late tonight anyway. It's council meeting night." Henry paused, "And besides you're my best friend. That's not about to change over something like my mom."

Paige dropped the ends of her scarf and let them lay normally. "Do you want to go inside or should I get the tea set and we can go to our castle?"

Henry didn't even pause to think, "Castle." Henry wasn't a fan of Paige's older brother, Kyle. Kyle seemed to think that Henry and Paige were much too old for tea parties. Kyle had also taken to watching Henry closely whenever he was over at the house, scrutinizing him, and interrupting Henry and Paige's conversations.

"Alright just give me a second," Paige scampered inside her house.

"Kay. I'll wait right here."

Henry waited patiently outside the little house. It was strange to think that only a few months ago, he hadn't known Paige at all. Now they were so close. Henry was sure that her remembering him was a large part of that.

"Are you ready?" Paige asked as she skipped down the steps, tea set basket under one arm and a stuffed white rabbit under the other.

"Does Mr. Tumbles really have to come?" Henry asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Two people do not a tea party make. You need at least three." Paige replied easily.

"I know it's just we're ten and I don't even like tea."

"I've got lemonade," Paige assured, "And I'm sure we'll have time to stop in at Granny's for Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon or hot fudge sundaes, you know whatever."

"Still," Henry was hesitant with his next words, "Don't you think we're getting too old for tea parties?"

Paige didn't bother to glance at him as she looked at the street before crossing. "You've been listening to Kyle again." Her voice sounded sad.

"It isn't just Kyle. I mean people are saying things. I already go to Doctor Hopper. They already think something is wrong with me." Henry really didn't blame them.

"There's nothing wrong with you." Paige reassured as she set their thing down on the playground structure they had affectionately dubbed their castle.

"But what if-" Henry began to protest.

She interrupted, "If there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with me too." She took out the well-worn blanket and laid it out with her little tea set on top.

Henry took out the little jug of lemonade and poured it into the three cups. He muttered very quietly just in case anyone else decided to use the playground today, "But what if I'm crazy?"

"Well then, let me tell you a little secret," Paige grinned knowingly and leaned in to whisper "all the best people are."

The two friends sipped their lemonade in companionable silence.

* * *

It was late and Henry was wandering the streets of Storybrooke. Well, it wasn't exactly wandering; he knew exactly where he needed to be. His Mom would probably be sending Sheriff Graham around right now and then he'd have to go home.

Henry didn't want to go home though. He'd said some awful things. He didn't really mean them. It was just hard sometimes. All he had wanted to know was something about his real mom and dad. He hadn't meant to make Mom cry. He just wanted to know something, anything. Maybe just to know why they gave him up for adoption, or if that was too much, even something trivial like a favorite color, or something. But then, she was yelling. "Am I really not enough for you Henry? What more do you want me to do?"

Henry shook his head now. Even far away from her, he could hear her voice and her crying, "I have sat with you every late night, through every fever, every illness. I changed every one of your diapers by myself while managing a town. I've taken you to Doctor Hopper every week and I've made sure you've had enough food. I've-"

No he had had enough of the guilt trip and he had yelled back. It wasn't asking too much. He had screamed every awful name he could think of.

"It doesn't matter Henry. She didn't care. She abandoned you. That's it. End of discussion."

And it had been. Because, then, Henry left, slamming the door behind him.

Henry looked around before approaching the house he knew was Paige's. He rang the bell. "Hi Mrs. Grace. I know it's late but can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course, sweetheart, make yourself at home. Do you want to change into your pajamas?"

Henry looked down at himself. It was stupid to just leave. He hadn't grabbed anything. "I don't really-"

"That's fine," Mrs. Grace put her hands on Henry's shoulders in a calming gesture. "I'm sure some of Kyle's old clothes will fit just fine."

Henry collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs. He laid his head in his hands and just listened to Mrs. Grace's humming as she bustled around the kitchen. It was a comforting sound, not at all like his house. Paige's house always felt warm and there was always some sort of music. There was humming, singing or random sounds from the trumpet Kyle had. At times, it was painfully silent at the house he shared with his Mom.

"I've got some Hot Cocoa with cinnamon. Now what seems to be the matter?" Henry didn't want to talk about anything. He wanted to sit and brood in silence.

"It's nothing."

Mrs. Grace tapped her fingers against the table. "I think we both know you wouldn't be here if it was nothing. Now, I'm going to check if Paige is actually asleep or just pretending. Hopefully, you'll be more willing to talk to her."

Henry sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Paige. Henry was just sure Paige wouldn't understand. Paige wasn't adopted. Her parents were right here. Her parents loved her. Her parents were willing to put up with her eccentric habits. His Mom was all he had. And she wasn't even his real Mom.

Henry heard the loud thumps as Paige ran down the stairs. He didn't even have a chance before she was squishing him in a hug that was tight but not all together unwelcome. Henry soon felt himself begin to cry. He couldn't control it. He thought to himself about how he was too old for this and how real heroes didn't cry.

Paige released him, but moved her chair closer so she was sitting right next to him. "So…" She allowed her voice to trail off, silently asking him.

"So," Henry repeated, not sure if he was really ready to go on.

Paige nudged him. "You know what I mean. Are you alright?"

"Depends on your definition of alright."

"You know, the usual definition: not dying, not being targeted by the mafia, not lost in a different dimension." Paige counted out each of the definitions on her fingers.

Henry sighed, "I guess I'm alright then."

"Good. Now what's wrong?"

"Do we really have to do this?"

Paige put her hands on her hips. "Yes we do. Now drink your hot chocolate and spill."

"You know I'm adopted, right?"

* * *

Henry was beyond tired. He hadn't really slept much lately. Mom hadn't been too happy about the impromptu sleepover at Paige's. He was required to come home as soon as school was over. There was no more time for tea parties or sundaes at Granny's or all the other little things they did that he had already missed. The more time he spent cooped up in the house, the more he disliked it. The only place he was really still free to go was Archie's office. And as much as he liked Archie and Pongo, it just wasn't the same.

Luckily, Henry still got to ride the bus.

"So I've been thinking," he said as Paige sat down next to him.

"A dangerous pastime." Paige joked.

"It's about my mom," Henry whispered.

Paige glanced around, "Which one?"

"The birth one" Henry admitted.

"Okay, what about her?"

"I want to find her." Paige didn't look repulsed or anything. So Henry thought that was a good sign.

"How?" Her face was genuinely curious.

"I was thinking the Internet."

Paige smiled and stretched her arms above her head. "So, when do we start?"


	2. Being Adopted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry begins his search.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Paige asked, running her finger over the top of the computer screen.

"No," Henry said, not glancing away from the search engine's results. "But, Paige, I have to do this. I have to find my mom."

"Alright then." Paige leaned back precariously on the back two legs of the kitchen chair they had brought into the room. "What if you don't like what you see?"

Henry huffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Paige let the chair rock forward so all the legs were flat on the ground. "You know what I mean. She isn't necessarily going to be a hero. I mean-"

Henry looked at her this time. "I know. She doesn't have to be a hero. I just have to find out something about her. Archie says it's perfectly normal. He tried saying something to Mom about it, but she wouldn't listen."

"Your mother doesn't listen to anyone." Paige leaned in to get a closer look at the screen. "What about this site?"

Henry clicked on it. The link led to a picture of a very scantily clad woman.

"Ewwww." Both kids chorused and Henry quickly closed the window.

"That wasn't what we were looking for at all."

"My eyes! They burn!"

Henry modified the search criteria. Hopefully, this time, the results would be slightly less scaring. The clock downstairs chimed five o'clock.

"I should go," Paige said mournfully. "Your mom's going to be here any moment. She isn't going to be happy. She'll want to know what we did. She doesn't like you having friends over."

Henry nodded and went to shut down the computer. He cleared the history first. He wasn't taking any chances.

"It isn't that she doesn't like me having friends over, it's just-"

"I know. She doesn't like me. I'm a bad influence."

"You're not a bad influence!"

Paige smiled. "I know that. You know that. But your mother wouldn't know what bad was unless it bit her on the nose."

* * *

It took sometime but they discovered a website exactly like what they were looking for. There was a problem though. The services the website offered weren't exactly free.

"We knew this could be an option," Paige said as she looked at the price again.

"I didn't think it would be this much though," Henry sighed, "Do you know how much we could buy with $265?"

"Yeah, like a hundred hot fudge sundaes from Granny's," Paige tried to find some hope in the situation, "Maybe if we just saved all our money up. I can ask Mom and Dad if they'd give me my birthday money in advance and we could just-"

"No. Don't bother," Henry got up dejectedly and threw himself on his bed. "It doesn't really matter."

"Of course! It matters!" Paige knocked the chair over in her rush to stand up. "Sometimes family is all we really have!"

Those words were the spark Henry had been looking for. He had been containing his anger for weeks, years maybe. He had been holding it all in, since he realized what it truly meant to be adopted. It wasn't like in his books. He wasn't one step closer to being a superhero. He was just abandoned. No one wanted him. No one loved him. That's what it meant to be adopted.

Without realizing it, Henry was on his feet, pacing across his bed like a wild animal ready to pounce and yelling, "You'd say that! With your perfect little family! A mother who loves you! A father who would do anything for you! A brother who's always going to protect you! You're all set! Perfect little Paige! Perfect little Paige who'll never have to worry about anything! Perfect little Paige who-"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Paige screamed over Henry's ranting. She covered her ears as if that would make her best friend's words go away.

"-isn't going to have any trouble at all with the homework Miss Blanchard gave us! Family Trees! Who needs to know family trees?! Mine won't tell you anything!"

He lunged for the offending piece of paper. He began to tear it into pieces. "Father Blank!" Rip. "Mother Blank!" Rip. "Grandfather Blank!" Rip. "Grandmother Blank!" Rip. "Aunts and Uncles Blank!" Rip. "Just Everything! Blank! Blank! Blank!"

Each "blank" was accompanied by another tearing sound. He was standing on his bed letting all the papers fall gleefully. His words were getting more frantic and louder by the second.

"Henry! Calm Down!" Paige said climbing up next to him, trying to hold his hands still, to do anything to try to knock sense back into him.

Henry shook her off. She fell from the bed and onto her overturned chair. She winced as she stood, cradling the arm she used to break her fall.

"Just Go Away!" Henry screamed. "I'm done with you! I'm never talking to you again!"

"See if I care!" Paige stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The tears blurred her vision and as she ran down the stairs, cradling her arm protectively. Paige ran right into the mayor.

"I'm s-s-sorry M-m-madame Mayor," Paige stuttered, trying to get control of herself. She wasn't a little kid anymore. She wasn't scared of the Mayor.

"What are you doing here?" The Mayor's voice was sharp. She didn't look pleased at all. "I thought I told Henry-"

"Well," Paige sniffed, "You won't have to worry about me anymore. Henry's in his room although, I don't think he wants to talk to anyone."

Regina grabbed Paige tightly on the arm and looked at her menacingly. "What did you do, girl?"

Paige winced, trying to ignore the sharp pain that just shot through her arm. "I didn't do anything. I was trying to help."

Regina released her as the sound of something heavy hitting the floor resonated above them. Regina gave her one last glare, "Stay away from my son."

* * *

Henry sat alone at the table during lunch. If he squinted, he could see all the other kids clustered around Paige signing her cast. He didn't want to go over there. Well, he did. He wanted to go over there and for Paige to hug him normally and just say that everything was going to be alright, that it didn't matter and of course she would be his friend again. They hadn't been friends since that day. She had gone home. He had sat with his mom and she held him until he calmed down.

That should have been the end of it. He would have gone to school the next day and apologized, but Paige hadn't been there. She hadn't been there the next day either. Kyle had been though, and so he had tried to approach him.

"Just stay away from her," Kyle had grunted as he shoved Henry out of his way.

It was the next day that Henry finally knew what was going on. Paige had arrived with a bright orange cast on her left arm. Miss Blanchard asked her what had happened in front of the class.

Paige looked sadly down at her arm. "Just fell on it wrong. I'm clumsy." She ducked her head to avoid any more questions.

Miss Blanchard gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you'll be feeling better in no time, Paige. If you need any help, just let me know."

Paige nodded, not looking up from her desk.

Henry pulled out a piece of paper from his desk, trying to be as stealthy as he could. Miss Blanchard didn't like anyone passing notes. "What really happened?" He scribbled onto the corner. He tore it off and folded it over three times. Henry laid it on the corner of her desk.

Paige took one look at it and used her good hand to sweep it onto the floor. Henry watched it fall. He pretended to knock his pencil off the desk so he could bend and retrieve it. Henry looked around before flicking the paper right onto her lap.

Paige gave an irritated huff before carefully unfolding it. She gave him a glare and made no move to respond.

Henry scribbled another note. "Paige, come on. What's wrong?"

That time she did reply. "I thought you were never talking to me again."

Henry glanced around for Miss Blanchard. He leaned closer so he could whisper, "You know I really didn't mean that right?"

"What part of it?" She hissed back.

"All of it," he admitted. Henry was not at all proud of how he acted in his fit of anger.

"I don't believe you." Paige turned back to Miss Blanchard and her art lesson.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say those things." Henry whispered knowing he still had her attention.

"Say those things! Henry, you broke my arm!" Paige's voice was soft but the anger was evident in it.

Henry ran a hand through his hair. "No. I didn't."

"Well, your chair broke my arm then. But considering you're the one you pushed me into it, I think we can agree that you, not the inanimate object is responsible."

Paige hadn't said a word to him since. If Henry was lonely before, he was so much lonelier now. He hadn't had a friend before Paige, at least not one who knew all about him and didn't forget the next day. Now, he was back to being all alone.

Henry looked away from Paige and her new friend Brenna as they spread out the blanket for the tea set. He wanted to go over and join them. After all, two wasn't a tea party. Instead, Henry looked at the Family Tree homework that he definitely wasn't going to do now and put it away. He didn't feel like eating but he tried anyway.

"Henry, you didn't turn in your homework again." Miss Blanchard said as she approached him. He wanted to ignore her. Of course he hadn't turned in the homework. He was never going to turn in the homework.

"Is there a problem?" Miss Blanchard asked so sweetly.

Henry didn't want to answer. He clenched his fist tightly under the table. Of course, there was a problem. He just wasn't going to take any of feelings out on anyone else ever again.

"Oh, Henry, things really will change if you just believe it. Life is unpredictable."

"Is your life unpredictable? 'Cause it seems to me that everything is pretty much the same around here, except me." Henry took a deep breath, remembering just how right he was. It wasn't just his imagination. No one aged in this town. Paige was the only one that had believed him and now, she probably wouldn't even remember him next year when he was in the grade above her.

Now that he was talking to Miss Blanchard, Henry just wanted to keep going. It was therapeutic to say it out loud. "My birth mom didn't love me. Regina says she does, but she doesn't" As soon as Henry said those words, he knew he was right. It was the first time he had called her Regina. It felt right on his tongue. Maybe he was over reacting, but he didn't feel comfortable calling her mom anymore.

"I don't belong here."

Miss Blanchard leaned toward him. "You do belong here Henry. You are loved."

Henry wanted to believe her. It was all he really wanted at the moment. Yet all he could do was look back at her with pleading eyes.

"I want to show you something." She reached toward her bag.

Henry doubted anything would make it better.

"This morning I was cleaning out my bedroom closet like I've done every week, thousands of times, and I found something I'd never noticed before."

She laid a book on the table. It was a rather large book with a leather cover and big embossed golden letters. But it was still just a book.

"It just appeared, like magic."

"That's not possible."

"Of course, it's not possible, but it happened."

Henry peered at the book as she tried to explain. It was strange how the book appeared, but no stranger than some of the other things in town. He opened it up to a story in the middle. It was of Pinocchio. "These are fairytales."

Miss Blanchard didn't look too surprised by his comment. "And what exactly do you think fairy tales are? They are a reminder that our lives will get better if we just hold onto hope. Your happy ending may not be what you expect, but that is what will make it so special."

Henry wanted a happy ending. Happy endings always meant that good won over evil, that everything worked out just right in the end. It meant all the orphaned children were loved and all the princesses got their prince. "Can I borrow this?"

"You can have it."

Henry felt himself smile his first genuine smile in a long time. "Really?"

"Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a powerful thing," Miss Blanchard began to head back inside for class. "I think you could use it."

Henry flipped to another page. It was an illustration of two people. One of them looked an awful lot like Miss Blanchard. The hair was longer, but it was unmistakably her. The opposing page read, "Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding."

"Miss Blanchard!" Henry just had to ask. There were no such things as coincidences.

"Yes," replied Miss Blanchard, except now she looked identical to the lady in the picture, identical to Snow White. How was it even possible?

Henry blinked, trying to let his mind catch up to what he was seeing, and just like that Miss Blanchard looked normal again in her grey coat and short hair.

"Thank you," Henry said trying to cover up his shock. This book was stranger than he'd originally thought. It wasn't just strange it was impossible.

If Paige were here, she would have leaned closer and whispered, "Why's it so hard to believe? Sometimes, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Henry shook his head. He didn't want to think about Paige anymore. He flipped the page. There was Miss Blanchard (Snow White he mentally corrected himself) cradling a baby in a blanket with her name on it. He'd never heard of a Princess Emma before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't what I was intending at all but sometimes the characters get minds of their own and then go and break their arms. I apologize on behalf of both Paige and Henry. Henry's trying to deal with some major issues without a very good outlet and Paige is in over her head. They were arguing in only the way best friends and siblings can, not really meaning what they were saying to the other person, but saying it anyway because that one person isn't going to abandon them. And yes it is possible it is possible to break your arm like that. I know from experience (my cousin).
> 
> Questions I received on ff.net that are relevant: 
> 
> 1)Why would Henry have any reason to search for his birth mother if he didn't know she was the Savior?
> 
> I believe that Henry, like some adopted children, would want to know his past, thinking they would know themselves better if they did. Emma's curse breaking abilities were really only a bonus. He was a scared little boy, who thought his adoptive mother didn't really love him. He felt so alone in the town, and he thought knowing who his biological parents were would fix that.
> 
> 2) Why can Grace remember if Jefferson gave up portal jumping after she was born? She never would have traveled between worlds.
> 
> It is my personal belief that Jefferson gave up his portal jumping abilities because Grace was born. I think that he and his wife got caught in some trouble in Wonderland just before Grace was born. His wife gave birth and then there were three people who needed to go back through the hat instead of just two. Both parents decided that their daughter deserved her best chance, which meant she needed to get out of Wonderland. Jefferson was necessary to make sure the newborn girl got through the hat safely as the hat is somewhat temperamental (Emma and Mary Margaret's crash landing). Jefferson's wife was left stranded in Wonderland, left to try and find her own way home. When Jefferson was trapped there later, he searched for her, but she had either found her way home or was dead.


	3. Believing in the Curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enchanted Forest sections are italicized

The fairytale book certainly was interesting. Henry fingered the page with his mother on it. She wasn't really his mother. He ran his fingers around the edge of his picture. It was disturbing. The woman in the picture shared so many of her characteristics. Her black hair was longer and the clothes were different. The most drastic change however, was her smile. This woman was dangerous. She radiated terror.

There was a soft knock at his bedroom door. Henry hastily stuffed the rather large book under the mattress.

"Henry," she cooed, sitting next to him on the bed. "Are you feeling okay?" Regina stroked his hair gently. It was something she had always done. The action used to calm him down when he was little.

"I'm fine," he shrugged. He really didn't want to talk about it. He was just trying to figure everything out for himself. He didn't have to worry her yet. Henry wasn't even entirely sure he believed it. An entire land, fairy tale land, forced into a small town in Maine.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Henry jerked away from Regina's comforting touch.

"It's nothing."

She leveled him with a look. "Is this about that girl?"

Henry automatically wanted to deny it. This had nothing to do with Paige, but he paused. If this was the curse from his book, it meant Paige was someone in here. Why had Regina wanted to take away her happy ending? Was that why she didn't like him having friends?

"I guess so."

"See was that so hard?" Regina gave him one of her simpering smiles, the one that knew she was always right. "I can sort it out tomorrow."

"No!" Henry moved across the bed from her. "She didn't do anything. I was just trying to think of a way to help with her broken arm. Paige is awfully stubborn."

Henry didn't like lying and yet that seemed like all he was able to do at the moment. He just didn't want anyone to get hurt on his behalf, especially if his Mom was the Evil Queen.

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea," Brenna whispered.

"You worry too much," Paige said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "It's not like it's not allowed. It's just a shop."

Brenna paused, trying to come up with any better reasoning than "But it's  _his_  shop."

"I don't care if it belonged to the man on the moon," Paige said, pushing Brenna up to the shop window. "Do you see all those tea sets?"

Brenna shook her head. Sometimes she worried about her friend's obsession with tea and tea parties. "But he won't actually let us touch them."

Paige put her hands on her hips. "I'm a paying customer."

"You have twenty dollars." Brenna deadpanned.

"That's enough. I mean it's an antique store. That means everything's almost too old for anyone to care about." Paige pushed open the door without any further hesitation.

The bell chimed as the two girls walked in. Mr. Gold's shop was not a common place for children. It was crammed full of fragile antiques. There were cabinets full of things that looked as if they belonged to the medieval times. Brenna paused to look at a flower shaped basket. She rubbed it gently, with a pained expression on her face.

Paige wasted no time in approaching the tea sets. There were six of them in this little portion of the shop. They were all so different. Different materials (brass, ceramic, porcelain and even one of gold although she wasn't sure how well it could withstand the heat.), different sizes (One was so small it looked like it could have been use by fairies), and different shapes stood together on the same shelf. Paige carefully slid back the glass. She reached her hand out to grasp her favorite of the sets. The porcelain was a beautiful color and there was a little blue design. Paige had never seen a tea set so perfect before, well almost perfect. There were a couple cups missing and the closest cup had a small chip in it. But, Paige didn't care; maybe Mr. Gold would lower the asking price because of it. Anyway, you could hardly see it.

Paige turned the chipped cup over in her hand. It was lighter than she expected. There was something special about this set. She could just tell. Everything had a story, but this one seemed particularly interesting.

"What are you doing in my shop?" A gruff voice barked.

Paige whipped around, holding the cup carefully so as not to damage it even more. Mr. Gold was leaning heavily on his cane and leering at them across the counter. "I'm not a baby sitter. I don't want grubby little children pawing all my stuff."

Brenna carefully put the basket down and went to stand by the door. Paige, however, stood her ground. "I'm looking to make a purchase."

Gold took a second to look at the cup in her hand. He gaped slightly, before an even harsher expression adorned his face. He limped over to her and grabbed the cup out of her hands. "That's not for sale." Gold brought his face down closer to hers, "Now. Get OUT!"

Paige didn't hesitate then. She hardly ever interacted with Gold. She'd heard things about his temper, but hearing things and witnessing them were completely different.

* * *

_Rumpelstiltskin had not expected the backlash from the mirror. He should have. After all, all magic comes at a price, but this was something new. Cora had imprinted herself on the mirror. It was a common trick, one he had taught her. Always give your magic an anchor. An anchor made future enchantments in the environment easier and allowed you to reconnect and alter previous spells._

_Rumpelstiltskin picked up one of the shards of the broken looking glass. A pity really. Although Bae wasn't in Wonderland, it had been nice to have another world so easily at his disposal. There had been better odds for finding something to travel farther, to find his Bae._

_Now, however he had a new plan. Rumple had known about Regina. She was impossible to ignore in those visions of his. The future certainly did change her. This woman had been meek, almost too meek to take what was hers. She didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, that would change. He could wait. He had waited a few centuries. What was a little longer?_

_He hadn't lied when he said she had power. It would be enough to curse princesses, scorch lands and ruin villages. The girl would just have to take it._

_Rumpelstiltskin raised the shard and peered into its depths. He looked normal, like the monster he was. It was the wall behind him that made him pause. It was dingy. Shabby, tattered tapestries reflected back at him, definitely different from what one expected in a palace. He turned around with a flourish._

" _How interesting," He said, his face slipping into his sly grin._

* * *

"What's she doing here?" Henry asked, glaring at the dark haired girl

Brenna slammed her hands on the table. "Well, I wasn't about to let her talk to you alone now, was I?"

Paige sent Brenna a scolding look before glancing apologetically at Henry. Henry bit his lip and looked once again at the bright orange cast. Brenna folded her arms across her chest and dared either of them to argue.

They sat there in tense silence until Ruby came over to take their orders.

"Hot chocolate with cinnamon."

"Peppermint Tea please, with just a dash of milk."

"Chocolate Shake."

The silence continued even after Ruby had left. Henry sighed. This was going to be even harder than he originally thought.

It was Paige who finally broke the silence. "Um, Henry, you said you found something important."

He leaned across the table. "Yeah, something I wanted to tell you," he whispered eying Brenna suspiciously.

"Whatever you say to me you can say to Brenna too."

"Are you sure she's trustworthy?"

"She's still here." Brenna practically sang in a mocking tone.

"Sorry, it's just-"

Paige interrupted, "It's fine. I understand Henry. I was making things difficult before. I almost ignored the note."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean. I don't want to lose you Henry. You're my best friend."

Brenna elbowed her.

"Okay, one of my best friends," Paige added. "It's just-" She paused. Paige really didn't want to talk about what had happened. "You said you found out something important."

Henry surveyed the area. He couldn't have anyone untrustworthy listening in. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure who was trustworthy yet. He didn't know who would report to the Evil Queen. Henry couldn't imagine Leroy remembering anything. Ruby and Granny would be on Snow White's side, especially if he was right about Ruby. Mary Margaret and Ruby were almost as close as sisters. The only other person in the dinner was a man, dressed in black with a scarf around his neck, flipping through a newspaper. Henry didn't recognize him, but he was far enough away that it shouldn't matter.

"So, Miss Blanchard gave me this book," Henry began.

"Okay, I love books just as much as the next person, but I don't see why this was worth leaving notes and sneaking around," Brenna interrupted.

"I'm getting there," Henry said, pausing long enough for Ruby to set down their order. After she was out of range, he began again. "I know it sounds weird. It's a book of fairy tales, except I don't think they're just fairy tales."

Paige leaned forward. "How can they be more than just fairy tales?"

"Okay, so when Miss Blanchard gave me the book, I could of sworn for a second, I- You're going to think I'm crazy."

Paige gave Henry a look that clearly showed she didn't think he was crazy and should continue. Brenna simply sipped her shake, as if she was reserving judgment on his sanity.

"It'll be better to show you. It won't make much sense unless you see the illustration." Henry pulled out the book from his backpack. He flipped toward the end. "Who does that remind you of?"

It was the picture of Snow White and Prince Charming on their wedding day. He didn't recognize Prince Charming, but Snow White was obviously…

"Miss Blanchard," the two girls whispered together, completely awestruck.

"I thought so too. So I went to ask her, and just for a second it looked like she was wearing these clothes."

"But she could have just known the artist or something," Brenna argued.

Henry shook his head. "No. That's not it. See," he flipped a few more pages, "The Evil Queen cast a curse to take away all the happy endings."

Paige reached across the table and looked closer at the accompanying illustration.

"But Henry that looks a lot like-"

"Regina, I know."

"I was going to say your Mom. When did you start calling her Regina?"

"It's a new thing okay. Anyway if she's the Evil Queen, I wouldn't want her to be my mom."

Paige gave him an all-knowing look. "Are you sure this isn't just something against Regina?"

"Just 'cause you don't like someone, doesn't make them evil."

Henry somehow refrained from glaring at either of them. "It isn't just them. Everyone's in here."

Paige stopped pestering him about Regina and let her curiosity shine though, "Who am I?"

Henry took a long sip of his hot chocolate with cinnamon. "Well, I don't know everyone yet. I mean it's a big book. I know Miss Blanchard's Snow White and Regina's the Evil Queen and Ruby's Little Red Riding Hood-"

Both girls turned in their seats to look at the waitress. It made an odd sort of sense. Ruby always wore red and she stayed close to her grandmother.

"-And Archie is Jiminy Cricket," Henry concluded proudly.

"I understand the others, but isn't Jiminy Cricket a, you know, cricket?" Paige asked.

Henry rushed to explain. "It's more than just appearance. People share certain character traits, some more than others. I think it has something to do with how much the Evil Queen wanted to destroy your happy ending. Can you think of any better conscience than Archie?"

"I guess not." Paige took a long sip of tea.

"I'm not sure who you are, but I have a guess. I haven't actually found her story in here yet, so I could be wrong. I mean, these aren't your classic fairytales. But I think it fits too perfectly. You say things that remind me of her sometimes."

"Who?" Paige

"Alice." Henry examined her carefully after that to see if the name had any effect.

Brenna tilted her head to the side. "Um, which Alice?"

Henry leaned closer and whispered just slightly softer, "Alice, as in Alice in Wonderland."

"You think I'm Alice?" Paige asked in disbelief. She tugged on her hair, the way she always did when she was nervous.

Brenna interjected, "But that's impossible."

"Six impossible things," Paige began before stopping herself. "Wow, I really am Alice." She unintentionally spoke her last words much louder than they had been talking. Paige was shocked, but she was happy at the same time. The name Alice seemed to actually mean something.

It went unnoticed to the children sitting at the table, but the man in the black reacted very strongly to her words. Jefferson forced himself to take several deep breaths and bent down to pick up the silverware he had knocked off the table.

Henry smiled. They were going to be okay. "You see what I mean."

"Yeah. I guess so," Paige smiled too now. "But what happens now? I mean we're all cursed."

"We have to break the curse," Henry said certain of their abilities to do so.

"Got that. The question is how?" Brenna asked.

"Well," Henry flipped to the back of the book, to a picture of a baby wrapped in a blanket. "Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter is supposed to break the curse. We're just going to help her."

"She could be anyone." Paige reminded.

"I didn't say it was going to be easy." Henry said. "But once Emma's here, the curse will be broken. You guys are all going to remember and we can all go back to the Enchanted Forest."

"Are you sure?" Paige asked in a very soft voice. "I mean, Henry, weren't you born here? Are you going to be able to come with us?"

"Of course! I'm going to come with and become a knight or something. I'm sure Snow White and Prince Charming will let me. I mean, I'll find their daughter and help her break the curse!" Henry was so sure of his destiny. Paige only smiled.

"Do you think I'll have to go back to Wonderland?" As much as Paige tried to make the question seem like a joke, Henry could read the true worry behind it.

Henry shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not sure how the Evil Queen could bring you to this world if you were still in Wonderland."

"I guess you're right. Even she can't be that powerful," Paige admitted.

"So are you guys going to help?" Henry asked giving them a pleading look.

"Of course Henry."

"I don't see why not."

"Great!" Henry leaned in closer, almost knocking over his hot chocolate. "Now we need a code name."

"A code name?"

"Yeah. We can't have Regina knowing that we know about the curse."

Paige sighed. "What sort of code name?"

"I was thinking," Henry paused and gave a slightly devious smile, "Operation Cobra."

Brenna snorted. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Exactly. She'll never be able to guess now."

Paige interrupted before her two friends could get into an argument. "All in favor of Operation Cobra."

Henry's hand immediately shot into the air. Paige couldn't really think of anything else they could call it and anyway Operation Cobra made it sound like a top-secret spy mission. She raised her hand too. Brenna took one look at both of them and sighed. Reluctantly she joined the majority.

Henry's smile practically reached his ears. "I'd like to formally invite you to the first meeting of Operation Cobra."

The three children clinked their glasses together, completely unaware of the progress they had made on the curse that had stood for nearly twenty-eight years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this story (March of 2014), I had no idea Frozen would be coming. As The Snow Queen is my favorite fairytale, I introduced it, sticking fairly close to the Hans Christian Anderson classic but also incorporating Frozen elements since those characters were more familiar to the average reader. Since I didn't have Disney breathing down my neck, telling me I couldn't change any of the characters (including giving them different clothing), I was free to merge the stories together in true OUAT fashion. The Snow Queen had a wide cast of characters that I felt could be incorporated (or changed for members of the main cast) and so I decided to use it as one of the overarching background stories like Snowing's was in Season 1. Everything ties together. Storybrooke is a complicated place with a lot of characters. Entire kingdoms were ripped up and dropped into one small town. I wanted to tell new stories so I wasn't just rewriting the show with Paige tagging along.
> 
> Rumpelstiltskin doesn't remember until Emma comes to town. He thinks the cup is special the same way some of the other people in town hold on to their past belongings. He can't bear to part with it, but doesn't quite know why.


	4. Finding the Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Paige plot to get their hands on the credit card.

Paige and Henry waited outside their school as the last of the children left. Their stakeout had been going on for nearly an hour now. Both children were slightly irritated and stiff from sitting nestled in the bushes outside Miss Blanchard's classroom.

"I believe you. Okay. The curse is real." Paige gave Henry a pointed look. "That doesn't mean you get to call me Alice."

"But that's your name!"

Paige merely shrugged. "We haven't even found Alice in your book. There's nothing in there to prove that's me."

"There's nothing to say you aren't," Henry wheedled. "I mean, you quote Alice and Wonderland all the time."

Paige sighed. "People quote Harry Potter all the time. That doesn't make them Dumbledore."

"You're not taking this seriously."

To prove just how seriously she was taking the matter, she stuck out her tongue. "I'm taking everything very seriously."

Henry's look was one of annoyance. "You should. You're not getting your happily ever after until the curse is broken."

"I'm not unhappy though."

Henry sighed. "There's something missing though, right? Regina-"

"Your mom" Paige prompted.

"Right now, she's Regina, the Evil Queen."

"You can't ignore her forever."

Henry glanced once again at Miss Blanchard's window "I'm not ignoring her. I just can't let her know what I'm up to at the moment. It's not like she'll notice anyway."

Paige gulped. "Henry, she's got like, super sonic senses on everything that even vaguely relates to you. I'm pretty sure she's already noticed."

Henry didn't even bother looking at her.

"What's worse for her to find out about? The curse or your search for your birth mother?"

That made Henry turn around. "Birth mother definitely. She still doesn't know what we were doing the day-" He trailed off.

Paige picked up right where he left off. "The day I broke my arm."

They shared a small smile. They weren't back to normal, but they were close. One fight wasn't going to end their friendship.

"Yeah, then. Regina already knows the curse doesn't affect me right. That's why we started with Archie. I noticed that I was the only one getting any older."

"So I've been ten..."

"For a very long time," Henry paused trying to do the math in his head. "Rumplestiltskin said the Savior would come when she was twenty-eight. So, it's got to be less than twenty-eight years."

Paige gave him a playful shove; "I guess I'm your elder now. I think I deserve some respect."

Henry matched her joking tone. "Respect is earned not given freely."

"Maybe I won't have to go to school anymore, if I'm really thirty-something," Paige mockingly pondered.

Henry laughed. "That'll work just fine." The two broke out laughing imagining the looks of their principal, teacher and parents if they decided that now they were officially too old for school. "If you're thirty," Henry mused. "Can you imagine how old Mr. Gold is?"

The fits of giggles were only broken by the sound of the window opening. Both children stared intently at Miss Blanchard's hand as she fiddled with the lock on the window that always rattled in the wind.

They could hear inside the classroom now. That was an advantage. Miss Blanchard could also hear them, so unfortunately they really would have to be quiet now.

With nothing to do but think, Henry began to realize just how silly their stakeout was. They'd be able to get into the school just fine. Leroy, the janitor, always locked the East Entrance doors last, so they'd still be unlocked. The real problem was what happened once they were in the classroom. Odds were very good that if Miss Blanchard left her classroom, she'd take her purse with her.

And real stakeouts were nothing like the ones on television. There was no action, no mysterious secrets unveiled, no evil henchmen. Just Miss Blanchard sitting at her desk grading papers. Henry had never thought about what teachers did after all their students left. There were a lot more papers to grade than he could have imagined.

He should be going. Regina was making lasagna tonight and it wasn't like they were going to accomplish anything tonight. Henry made a motion with his hand at Paige, indicating they should leave. He stopped mid-gesture when they heard a different voice in Miss Blanchard's classroom.

"Mary Margaret, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You're fine"

"Would you be able to help me move the sand table? I'm afraid this old body isn't what it used to be. " Henry recognized the voice now. It was Mrs. Nelson, Henry's kindergarten teacher even if she didn't remember him. Mrs. Nelson was a sweet old woman. Her frizzy gray hair sprung out in every direction and she wore wildly colored skirts. Henry remembered how she would always call him sweetheart because she couldn't remember his name.

There was a shuffle of papers as Miss Blanchard stood up. "Of course. I'll be right there."

The children didn't even bother waiting for rest of the conversation. They raced to the unlocked door. Henry pulled open the door and they waited pressed up against the wall for the teachers to pass.

"You stay here." Henry whispered urgently. He knew this was probably their only chance to get the credit card.

"I thought I was going to help."

"You are. You're my lookout. If Miss Blanchard or Mrs. Nelson come back this way, you're going to need to distract them."

Paige turned around, inspecting every angle of the hallway. "I'll be down at the end. That should give you enough time to get out."

"Sounds like a plan."

"If the card isn't there, don't do anything stupid."

"We're breaking into a school at night and stealing our teacher's credit card to find my birth mom on a website on the internet. I think that qualifies as stupid."

"It's only stupid if you're caught." Paige smirked, before melting into the shadows as if she was never there.

Henry added the trait to the impressive list he had in his head of everyone's characteristics. He was fairly certain this was just another instance when Paige proved she was really Alice. The Alice from stories could always make her way out of trouble with the Queen of Hearts.

Henry pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He could worry about fairytales and curses later. Today's mission was all about his birth mother. He sprinted down the hallway, knowing he had already wasted precious time. The halls of the school were so creepy at night. They made a foreboding feeling creep down his spine. They weren't supposed to be empty and silent, each footfall echoing loudly. These halls were typically packed so tightly, you could barely move.

Henry pushed open the door. The classroom lights were still on. He glanced around. Henry let out a sigh of relief as he saw Miss Blanchard's black purse sitting under her desk. They might actually get away with this.

He gently sorted through the purse. It wouldn't do to have Miss Blanchard notice the card was missing before they got around to using it. There were papers, and rose scented hand sanitizer. The wallet was naturally at the bottom.

Miss Blanchard's driver's license was tucked neatly in the most prominent pocket. She looked pretty in the picture, just like the princess she truly was. Henry pulled the license out to reveal the credit card underneath. He shoved it in his pocket before making sure that everything looked like it did when he came in.

Henry was about to open the door when he heard shouting from the hallway.

"Miss Blanchard! Miss Blanchard!" Paige shouted, running toward her teacher as she made her way back towards her classroom.

Miss Blanchard gave her a worried little smile. "Paige, what are you still doing here? School ended hours ago. Do you need to call your parents?"

Paige blushed and stared at her feet. "No, I'm okay. But there's this bird with a broken wing outside. I was just going for a walk and I just saw him lying on the grass, poor little thing. I thought that maybe, maybe we-" Paige put on her most innocent, bashful face. She had to be crafty with this, maybe even cry some fake tears. They had come too far to just have Henry get caught now. "I thought maybe we could take a look at it. You know, make sure it's okay. Maybe even keep it until we finish our bird houses."

Miss Blanchard seemed to accept the lie easily because she knelt down in front of Paige. "Why don't we go take a look at your bird? We can try to help. But Paige, sometimes we can't save everything." The words seemed as if they were about so much more than just a bird.

"Okay. I'll show you where." Paige rushed outside, hoping that she was giving Henry enough time to get away.

* * *

 

Regina reluctantly opened the door. She didn't like the girl. She was relieved Henry was finally having friends, but it also made her nervous. The curse hadn't worked on her son. It refused to completely write him into the lives of the people in Storybrooke. They would forget their interactions with him. They would remember general things, but specifics came only when prompted or they had evidence right in front of them. (The cricket had to write very detailed files to remember Henry's progress.) There had to be some explanation for this girl.

It wasn't like the Dark curse was breaking. Her former teacher had been very specific. His words echoed in her head: "The truth. That nothing can stop the darkness! Except of course their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. Their child is the key." There was no sign of Snow's daughter. Her curse was still safe.

Somehow though, this pesky little girl, the Hatter's daughter, could remember her son. Regina was not willing to give up her years of work for revenge just because of some little girl. Henry was just fine without her.

And yet, it made her feel wonderful to see her son come bounding down the stairs. His smile lit up his whole face. He pulled the girl by the hand all the way up to his room. They were both laughing.

The girl could stay, at least for now.

* * *

* * *

"We did it then. We really did it," Paige said, alternating her gaze between Miss Blanchard's credit card and the computer screen.

Henry looked at her only briefly, before turning his attention back to the blinking screen.

Are you sure you want to complete the transaction?

He took a deep breath and clicked the little yes button.

The website began to load. The little rainbow wheel that he already hated, circled around and around. Processing Request. Sending Request. Locating Data. Processing Data. Processing. Processing. Processing.

It was taking forever. Henry wanted to complain. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't sure if he was ready. Could he really go and meet the woman who gave him up? What if she was happy? What if she had other kids? What if she wasn't the fairytale princess he'd been imagining her to be? Not as in actual fairytale princess, he reminded himself. It was weird to think there were real princesses walking around him everyday. (He thought Ashley might be Cinderella.) More like the ideal mother, kind and sweet, someone who loved him so much but gave him up only because she had to, like Snow White.

But there were other thoughts too. What if she missed him desperately? Would he really be willing to leave Storybrooke for his birth mother? Could he leave all the places he loved? His school? His castle? His home? Could he really leave all the people he cared about? Dr. Hopper? Pongo? Miss Blanchard? Paige? His Mom? (Because even if she was the Evil Queen, she was still his mom.)

There was no turning back now and yet, while Henry watched the website search for his mother, he realized just how nervous he was. His file said this woman wanted no contact with him. Would she even answer the door?

"Match Found," the little computer voice said.

Henry leaned in to get a better look.

"Your birth mother is... Emma Swan.

Contact Information has been sent to your approved email address. Thank you for using ."

Paige coughed to draw his attention. Henry realized he had been staring blankly at the screen. "This is a good thing, right?" She asked timidly.

"I think so," He opened his email. He found the right file. He opened the attachment. "She lives in Boston."

"Well, that's not too far away."

Henry thought about it. Regina would never be willing to drive him but there was probably a bus, a Greyhound or something. "Yeah. It could be worse. I mean it's not like she lives in Arizona."

"Maybe my parents could drive you," Paige offered.

Henry sighed. "I don't think they like me all that much, remember? Plus they're affected by the curse. They wouldn't be able to leave Storybrooke."

There was silence as the two tried to come up with a solution. "Wasn't Princess Emma supposed to break the curse?" Paige asked almost so silently that Henry didn't hear her.

Her words were electric. A million thoughts danced through his head. He wanted to believe it. The savior needed to come when she was twenty-eight. Maybe he was supposed to go get her. Maybe he had been given up because of fate, or something like that, so that he could guide Emma to Storybrooke and save everyone.

"I think you're right," Henry smiled. "I think we need to get the Savior to Storybrooke."

"Of Course, Prince Henry," Paige said giving him a stiff little curtsy.

He nudged her slightly. "Don't do that."

"Why not? If we're right, if the curse is real" Henry shot her a glare, which she ignored. "You're a prince, the future heir to Snow White's Kingdom. And me," she shrugged, "I'm just Alice."

"You're not just Alice," Henry protested. "You'll be my Royal Assistant when we get back. We'll sword fight everyday and we'll go on quests and slay dragons together. All the Realms will know of Alice and Henry."

Paige giggled. "Alice the Brave and Henry the Magnificent. And we can have as many tea parties as we want without seeming weird."

"Yeah."

"Your mom's curse was good for something though." Paige's expression sobered. She was very serious.

"What?"

"If she never cast the curse, we would have never met," Paige smiled her smile.

"That's just another sign that the curse doesn't affect me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're my best friend. That means you're a part of my happy ending."

* * *

 

Paige paced back and forth. She knew it was happening tonight. They had agreed she couldn't know too much. Plausible Deniability.

So instead of helping, she was just waiting. Paige supposed it was alright. It wasn't like she could go to Boston. The Curse still affected her. She couldn't leave any more than her parents could. Waiting and trying to do research for Operation Cobra. The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was propped open on the table in front of her. She hoped that maybe something in the book would make her remember, well, anything.

It was funny to read the book and think that this was her life. It meant she had a sister and a family that was probably looking for her. She knew her family wasn't technically her real family, because that was what the curse did, it separated you from the people you cared about. But it was still odd to think about. In their real land, there would be no bickering with Kyle over who got to use the bathroom first in the morning, or who got the last oatmeal raisin cookie. There would be no Mom to tuck her in before bed. There would be no Dad to make jokes and pretend to forget how old she was on her birthday.

Paige shook her head. The curse wasn't broken yet. No need to dwell on things that were still a long ways away. She didn't think it would be simple enough to just bring the Savior to Storybrooke.

Paige tried to keep reading.

_"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly._  
_"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."_  
_"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."_  
_"Nobody asked your opinion," said Alice."_

Paige had already decided she liked the Hatter. He was nonsensical at times, but she liked him. After all, life was a little nonsensical too. Paige wasn't sure if she should form opinions on the characters yet. After all, she had met them. They could be much different in person. No one in Henry's storybook was the same as the tales in this world. She didn't think Alice in Wonderland would be any different.

There was a loud knocking at the door. Startled, Paige nearly fell out of her chair at the kitchen table.

Mrs. Grace gave her a curious look. "Is that Henry?"

Paige gulped. "I don't think so."

Mrs. Grace wiped her hands on her apron and sighed, "I'm just not sure who else would be calling so late." She went to answer the door. Paige stayed at the table. She could sort of see the entrance, but they couldn't see her.

Sheriff Graham was standing in the door next to a very angry Regina. Graham looked almost apologetic. "I'm sorry Mrs. Grace. I know it's getting late but Henry appears to be missing. Could you please get your daughter?"

"Of course. PAIGE!"

Paige hopped off her chair and went to the front door, pretending that she hadn't been eavesdropping.

Graham's voice became incredibly gentle and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Paige, we just want to know if you know where Henry is. He hasn't come home today and he didn't go to his appointment with Doctor Hopper. Can you tell us anything?"

Paige put on a wounded look. She was really getting good at acting with everything she was doing to help Henry break the curse. Paige began in her smallest voice, "You mean Henry's missing?"

Regina shoved Graham out of the way. It was moments like this that Paige knew Regina had to be the Evil Queen. "We both know you know where my son is. So why don't you just spit it out girl."

"My name isn't girl, Madame Mayor. My name is Paige."

* * *

 

" _My name is Margaret. They said you could help me."_

_Jefferson stared at the young woman, slightly amused. He knew someone was looking for him, went through a lot of trouble actually, but he hadn't imagined it would be the woman in front of him. She was slight with a plait of light brown hair carelessly pushed over her shoulder. Her blue dress was obviously well worn from travel. She didn't look like she was around here, which was probably the reason she was looking for his hat._

" _That depends," Jefferson said, spinning his hat, feigning disinterest. He was feigning disinterest because he had heard the rumors of how much she was willing to pay._

" _I'm trying to find someone."_

" _Most people are." Jefferson joked. She was rather pretty, especially when she was frowning at him like that._

" _Not like that," She gave him a searching look. "I'm trying to find my sister Alice."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regina underwent so much character growth that it's important to remember that at the beginning, her revenge (and the curse) meant so much to her
> 
> A special thanks has to go out to my friend Cindy. Together, we worked out Once Upon A Time in Wonderland's connection to Jefferson (primarily Cyrus/Alice versus pesky head cannon). In Lewis Carroll's books, Alice has an older sister, who is notably reading a book without pictures and is annoyed by Alice's inability to sit still. In the book, she is unnamed. The sister is sometimes referred to as Lorina, who was Alice Liddell's older sister (who Carroll based the character off of). In the play, the sister's name is Mathilda. In the Tim Burton movie, it's Margaret. I feel like Margaret fits best in the Once Upon a Time Universe.
> 
> Sophie Lowe (Alice) and Alissa Skovbye (Grace) also look very similar, which definitely fueled the Jefferson/Alice speculation. Alice however has a True Love so I'm not about to deprive her of that. I feel like it's a decent compromise even if Margaret doesn't COMPLETELY line up with Wonderland either. And I'm sure I gave you more information than you ever wished to know, but there it is.


	5. Helping Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paige "searches" Storybrooke, covering for Henry who is making his way to Boston.

The bus ride was longer than Henry had expected. He had left right after school and still he wasn't there yet. He had received some odd looks when he bought his ticket, but for the most part his escape from Storybrooke had been fairly straightforward.

Regina thought he was going to Granny's with Paige before going to Doctor Hopper's. It wasn't his best plan, simply because it put Paige at even more risk, but at least it was believable. It was something they did fairly often. A little less often since the incident, but still often enough.

Paige's family still hadn't quite forgiven him about the broken arm thing. He wasn't even sure how much they knew about what happened. She had come home from his house with a broken arm. At the very least, he was a bad influence. Mrs. Grace still seemed to like him, but Kyle and Mr. Grace would give him harsh looks.

Paige had forgiven him though and that was what really mattered.

Henry opened his storybook for what had to be the third time in fifteen minutes. He looked out the window again. It was getting closer to his stop, closer to Miss Emma Swan, Savior of Storybrooke and his real Mom.

"That a good book?" A middle aged woman two seats in front of him asked. Henry was starting to get used to this type of behavior. It had to be maternal instinct or something. The woman at the station where he had to change buses walked him all the way to the right bus. Maybe it was the fact he was ten and traveling alone in a big city, but all these women kept trying to instigate conversations with him.

"This is more than just a book." Luckily, it was his stop, so Henry could ignore the woman's pitying look. He didn't need her pity anyway. He was about to find his Mom.

* * *

Jefferson didn't like the way the Evil Queen was glaring at his little girl. He should have known something like this would come up eventually. He had overheard his daughter talking to the Mayor's son about the curse and his Grace never knew when to leave things well enough alone. It was like when she was little and just learning to swim. She decided she could jump right into the deepest part of the pond after learning how to blow bubbles.

Jefferson wanted nothing more in the world than to be able to protect his baby girl. He would always be around to catch her. He wasn't about to let anything stand in his way. A part of him made Jefferson wanted to encourage the Operation Cobra as they had called it. It was dangerous, sneaking around the Queen's back, but if Grace remembered it would all be worth it. He didn't want to condemn her to two lives in her head, but he needed her. Jefferson needed to be able to hold her when she was sick, needed to make funny faces at her on the early mornings when all she wanted to do was go back to sleep, needed to be able to cuddle up next to her with a cup of tea and tell her stories about her mother's adventures.

Jefferson wasn't sure Maggie would have approved of how he brought up their little girl. She certainly wouldn't have approved of leaving Grace alone to go back to Wonderland. He suppressed a shudder. Wonderland. The place had both given and cost him his wife. If Alive hadn't kept disappearing to Wonderland, her sister would never have scoured the realms for a way to find her. And yet, Maggie had disappeared there. He shook his head. Maggie had died there. He tried to correct himself, but it did no use. She had been there nine years, nine years as Grace grew up without her mother. When he had finally been trapped there, Jefferson had tried to find her, but there was no sign of her. There was nothing. Not even a body.

But now, there was no dwelling on that. Dwelling on that could drive him madder than he already was. Their little girl was still here. She had no idea who she was. (Grace thought she was her Aunt Alice for goodness sake, Jefferson mused.) But she was here, so close he could watch her everyday.

Jefferson peered through the telescope again. He really didn't appreciate how Grace was tugging on her shoes and going outside. It was getting late. She wasn't even wearing gloves. Without even realizing he was doing it, Jefferson pulled on his boots and tightened his scarf around the scar from where the Queen of Hearts chopped off his head. He grabbed an extra pair of gloves and one of his many hats as he rushed out the door. Grace was going to need it.

* * *

" _So, Margaret." Jefferson paused, surveying his new client. She seemed to have winced at the use of her name. Interesting. "What sort of trouble did your sister get herself into that you need to find a poor old portal jumper like myself."_

_Her look was scathing. "Are you going to help me? Or just make jokes?"_

_Jefferson sobered a little bit and stopped reclining with his feet up on the table. "I need details. Not all the worlds are the same. They operate on different frequencies so to speak. Some have strong powerful magic, at the very center of their core. While others have no magic whatsoever."_

" _It's got magic," Margaret replied smoothly. She reached down into the small leather bag she carried with her. She pulled out a sketchbook. Margaret opened it carefully caressing one of the pages. "My sister first went there when she was really young, about seven. I was supposed to be watching her. The first time it wasn't so bad. I barely noticed she was gone. It was only a few hours later when she was running around screaming about falling down a rabbit hole. I thought it was just her over active imagination. Alice could never sit still."_

" _Go on," Jefferson prompted. It was always more interesting dealing with clients instead of mindless searching for treasures in random lands._

" _Then she was gone for longer stretches of time, a week and then a month, until finally I hadn't seen my baby sister in a year. We had a funeral. And then Alice comes bounding up the path screaming for Father. She didn't look a day older. "_

_Margaret paused to collect herself. Jefferson took the opportunity to ask for the sketchbook she continued to caress._

" _May I?" He offered his hand out._

" _Of Course."_

_He flipped through the pages. The drawings started off like those of a child's, uneven blobs of color and stick figures. There were scribbles that looked like an attempt at writing. The drawings seemed to mature though, growing more and more detailed. A smoking caterpillar. A white rabbit with a waistcoat and pocket watch. A man sitting cross-legged inside a Genie's bottle._

" _Have you tried Agrabah yet?" That was the only place he could think of where a genie could live._

" _Just got back. That's how I knew how to find you."_

" _She kept disappearing."_

" _She did."_

_Jefferson sighed. As interesting as this case sounded, he wouldn't be able to take it. "I'm afraid I can't help you."_

" _What do you mean by that?" Margaret's left hand went almost automatically to twist a strand of hair. Her voice shook just slightly._

_Jefferson began to stand. "My hat works very specifically. The number of people that go through are the number of people that come back. I wouldn't be able to bring her-"_

_Margaret was on her feet now too. "What if she's in trouble? What if she's all alone and scared? What if she needs my help?"_

" _Margaret-"_

" _Maggie" She interrupted. "Call me Maggie. Margaret was my mother's name."_

" _Alright then Maggie," Jefferson elongated her name, almost giving it an extra syllable. "I'm not sure what you want me to do."_

_Maggie lifted her chin ever so slightly. "You, hatter," she almost sneered his title, "are going to help me get to Wonderland and then, you are going to help me find my sister."_

* * *

This was it Henry thought as he stood outside Emma Swan's apartment. This was going to be the moment everything changed for the better. He patted the book through the fabric of his backpack, took a deep breath and knocked.

* * *

"I'll be fine, Mom!" Paige called over her shoulder as she searched the closet for her her shoes. "Henry's missing. I have to help."

"Paige. It's a school night." Her mother said with her hands on her hips.

Paige finished lacing up her left sneaker. "I won't be long. I just really need to do this Mom."

Mrs. Grace gave her daughter a stern look. "Half an hour. That's it. Otherwise, Graham is getting a call from me. I'm sure he doesn't want two missing children on his hands."

"I'm not about to go missing." Paige said, giving her mother one last hug. "I'm sure nothing bad has happened to Henry."

* * *

It only took Henry about a second to realize that he probably should have rung the doorbell instead. He found the little button on the left side of the door covered in writing. Henry did not hesitate in pushing the little button as hard as he could. He was sick of waiting. If he was right, and he so hoped he was, the woman on the other side could change his life forevermore. She would break the curse, riding into Storybrooke like some kind of white knight, and he would have a real mother again.

The door opened. A beautiful blond woman stared down at him questioningly. Henry wasn't sure she looked quite the part of the white knight, but she certainly could be a princess, especially in her pink dress.

"Um," The woman leaned again the doorframe as she examined him closely. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" The words were out of his mouth before he even knew he was saying them. Maybe that was better. Henry wasn't sure he could actually properly articulate anything.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

Henry bit his lip. It didn't matter if she hadn't wanted him, he thought as he took a breath. Storybrooke needed her. "My name is Henry. I'm your son." He smiled. Henry had said it. It was like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. He had found his mother and she knew who he was.

Henry heard his stomach grumble. It had taken longer than he had expected to get to Boston from Storybrooke. He had forgotten about food. His throat also felt scratchy. That drinking fountain at the station in Newburyport seemed so long ago. Henry pushed past Emma into the apartment. After all, he had come all this way to find her, she could at least give him something to drink.

"Hey, Kid. Kid. Kid!" She called as he looked around the apartment.

It was a nice enough place. There was a beautiful view of the city, but it didn't seem quite lived in. There were papers here and there. (File folders, Henry thought, for her cases. The website had said she was a bail bondsman.) But there was nothing that showed that this place was a home.

"I don't have a son," She said adamantly.

Henry resisted the urge to whip around. He may have been in Storybrooke his entire life, but he was still her son. They even looked a little alike. She had his nose and chin. (Henry knew that it was the other way around but he liked to think about it this way.)

"Where are your parents?"

Now, Henry thought, turning around fluidly. He needed to warm her up to the idea. He wanted to run and hug her, or do something else equally silly, but he didn't. Henry pretended to be calm, cool and collected. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."

She scrutinized him even more, probably trying to find the same similarities, he already knew were there. "Give me a minute," she said as she rushed out of the room.

It could have gone worse, Henry thought. He knew it was a lot for anyone to deal with. I mean how often did the kid you tried to forget you even had show up on your doorstep? He could give her some time to adjust to the news. In the meantime, he could find a solution to his growing thirst. He began to search the refrigerator.

"Hey, do you have any juice?" Henry moved around several boxes of Chinese takeout. His mom sure ate a lot of takeout. Regina would have had a fit if he even suggested takeout. "Never mind, found some," Henry shouted as he found the orange bottle. He wasn't sure where the cups were so he drank straight from the bottle. It was something he never would have dared at home, but it felt different here.

Speaking of home, he thought as Emma reentered the room, he should probably get back there. Regina would have noticed by now. Sheriff Graham was probably already working the case. He hoped Paige wouldn't be in too much trouble for covering for him.

* * *

Paige shivered. Maybe it hadn't been the brightest idea to storm out of her house and help look for Henry. She knew where Henry was. He was somewhere between here and Boson, but the Evil Queen couldn't know that. So instead of being warm and sitting in her cozy little house with a cup of tea and her book, Paige was outside pretending to look for her best friend. She needed to keep pretending. They couldn't let the Evil Queen win. They had to keep any progress toward breaking the curse hidden. So even if that meant wandering pointlessly around at night, Paige would do it. Everything would be worth it in the end.

More rain was falling now. A part of Paige wanted to go back home and find a more suitable jacket and some gloves. She knew however that her mother wouldn't let her leave the house again. Paige moved to stand under the awning in front of Mr. Gold's shop.

This was silly. She had already proven she had no idea where Henry was to Graham and the Evil Queen. She had acted in character and gone out searching. Paige had covered all her tracks and yet she was still outside. She tried to reason what to do next.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, what are you doing out so late?" A voice behind her said.

* * *

It was harder to see her up close. It was hard to see her flinch away from him and give him an accusatory glare. Jefferson thought he was ready for this, but he wasn't. He couldn't stand the distant look in her eyes. It certainly didn't help that he had called her sweetheart. She was all alone and confronted by a stranger. If they were in the Enchanted Forest, she would have started running all the way back home, back to him.

Grace looked down at her feet and muttered something instead.

"I didn't catch that." Jefferson knelt so that he could look his daughter in the eye. "I'm sure it was eloquent, but do you mind repeating it?"

She smiled. It wasn't her usual light up the room smile; it was more of her I-have-a-problem-Papa smile. He just wanted to grab her and hug her, but this time he was the problem.

"I'm looking for someone." She didn't look at him when she said it, just continued to stare at the spot on the sidewalk.

"Most people are," the words from so long ago bubbled to his lips unconsciously. "Do you want help?"

This time she did look at him. He stayed still as she scanned his face. It was only a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime. "I guess so."

Grace began to walk away from him. Jefferson stood and followed, unwilling to let her out of his sight now. He had interacted with her for the first time in nearly thirty years. He had no reason to stop now.

"How about we go to Granny's and you can tell me who I'm looking for." Jefferson just wanted her to keep talking. He missed her voice. He missed her laugh too, like a tinkling of bells that always made him feel better. She was better than any treasure he could ever find in all the lands.

"How do I know you're not a serial killer or something?" She asked. "My parents might never see me again."

Her words had an unintended sting to them. "I promise I will never hurt you."

"That's a lot to promise someone you just met."

"Alright then, I pinky swear I'm not a serial killer." Jefferson offered his hand out to her. "Besides, how many serial killers have you heard about in Storybrooke?"

Jefferson could see the hesitation flicker across her eyes before she grabbed his hand. "I guess none, but you still could be a something."

"Everyone's a something. My name's Jefferson, princess." He gave her a little bow like he used to when she was little.

"I'm Paige." She offered him a curtsey and a genuine smile. "And Granny's sounds good. I'm beginning to get a headache."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was funny because since I'm reposting from ff.net I get to read my author's notes there. This chapter was posted right after the season 3 finale. I was gushing over the Rumbelle wedding and freaking out because of the Frozen arch. I was going on about how I probably wouldn't change that much, which is a complete lie. I had plans to fully integrate all the characters and I'm going to stick to that. (Basically four never happened)


	6. Interrogations with Graham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma arrives in Storybrooke. Henry and Graham have a heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder, I am completely redoing the Frozen arch, basing it more off the fairy tale and actually tying Elsa and Anna into the rest of Storybrooke more completely.

It had taken some time to get Emma to drive him back to Storybrooke. She was stubborn just like he was. Her superpower was really cool though, Henry thought. It was like the power of Snow White and Prince Charming's true love had given her some awesome abilities. Maybe she could do magic too.

Emma hadn't been too receptive to the idea of the curse either. It stung a little that she thought he was crazy too. It shouldn't have, the idea of being a character in a storybook was fantastical, but it did. Henry had always thought that the savior would just believe him. She would be willing to come and fulfill her destiny. But Henry reasoned, if she believed right away, it wouldn't be much of a story.

Despite Emma's initial protests, they did stop to get something to eat. It had been late at a sketchy little gas station, but they had still stopped. Emma hadn't eaten much of anything after her case earlier and Henry's stomach had started to sound like a vicious animal.

Emma didn't say much. They had driven in relative silence since they left Boston. Henry had continued to read his book looking for any more clues. He was still only about halfway through. Henry had read the part about Snow White and the curse so many times, but there were a whole bunch of little stories he hadn't even begun yet.

* * *

_She had been born cursed. Sometimes it wasn't even a curse, more of a gift, but it still was a burden to bear. Ever since she was little, Elsa had been kept by herself, locked safe and sound in her room. Her parents had meant well, she supposed, but she was still alone most of the time. Elsa couldn't even open the door. A sorcerer had created a seal to keep her powers hidden within. She was a dangerous weapon. Unfortunately, it also kept the world out._

_When she had been seven, someone had knocked on her door. Elsa had found that odd. Her parents, on the few occasions they visited her, had always just entered. Her food and supplies always just magically appeared when she needed it._

" _Hello?" A tiny voice asked._

_Elsa didn't recognize it._

_She heard the pitter patter of feet as the little girl ran away. She could hear the voice shouting, "MAMA! What's in this room?"_

_Elsa crept closer to the locked door in case the little girl came back. She didn't take very long._

" _Hello! My name is Anna! Is anyone in there?" Anna's voice was much louder than it needed to be, but Elsa could only smile. She wasn't sure she was supposed to answer but Mama and Papa had never told her not to and she was awfully lonely._

" _My name's Elsa."_

_Anna clapped her hands. "Really? My big sister's name was Elsa!"_

_That puzzled Elsa. It wasn't like her name was that common._

" _Now, Anna what are you doing?" The Queen asked as she looked at her youngest daughter lying on the floor in front of the locked door._

" _Mama!" Both girls said at once._

_It was then that Elsa had her answer and she didn't like it one bit._

* * *

Tea with Jefferson hadn't been all that bad. Paige had laughed really hard at some of his jokes and he had smiled the entire time. He even liked his tea the same way she did. Jefferson had offered to walk her back home, but Sheriff Graham and the Evil Queen had barged in as they were leaving.

"You should be at home, Paige," Graham said. "Here I'll give you a ride in the squad car. It's too late for you to be all by yourself."

"I just wanted to help look for Henry."

Graham smiled. "I know, but I think we should leave this one to the professionals, okay?"

Paige put on her best teary eyed face, "So you'll find him?"

"Not if we have to deal with brats like you," Regina accused. "Sheriff, I'm going back to my house in case he tries going back there."

"That's fine Regina. I'll meet you there." Graham assured. "We'll find him. Just let me get this little lady home first."

The Evil Queen gave Jefferson a scorching glare as she left.

* * *

_Maggie played a few of the keys on the old grand piano. She could only play a few songs and not anything that really interested her. It was always Alice's domain. Alice's or their mother's. The keys were hardly ever touched now._

_It had been over a year since anyone had seen Alice. The extended family and other acquaintances spoke of propriety and the shame of a daughter running off. They spoke of lovers and unfaithful daughters. That wasn't what was going on._

_Alice had never been that sort of person. She had never been rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. Alice had been far more interested in her fairytale stories. They sounded fantastic, talking rabbits, smoking caterpillars, mushrooms that made you shrink. Everything sounded so wonderful, but none of it could be real_

_That's why Maggie was sure something awful had happened. She remembered her sister's last words clearly. It had been the middle of July. Maggie should have known something weird was going on. She had heard floorboards creaking in the middle of the night and she had gone downstairs to investigate, only to find her little sister standing in the kitchen._

" _I'm fine Mags. Just go back to bed," Alice smiled using the nickname she had come up with when she was a toddler. The name should have been another clue. Alice hadn't called her "Mags" in years. She had stopped when she was six because it sounded too babyish._

" _No it's fine. I'll wait up."_

" _Really Mags. I'm not a little girl anymore." Alice gave a genuine smile. "I can get a glass of water by myself."_

" _I never doubted you for a second Alice," Maggie replied softly "You know me, I'm just a worrier."_

" _Good night Mags!" Alice motioned with her left arm that she was waiting for her sister to leave. Then she smiled._

_Looking back on it, Alice's smile seemed a little sad._

" _Sweet dreams Alice."_

* * *

Henry looked out the window. They were just crossing into town. He must have nodded off at some point. He shook himself awake. He still needed to tell Emma about the curse.

"Okay, kid, how about an address?" Emma asked when she noticed he was awake.

"Forty-four, Not-telling-you Street."

The car jerked to a halt. Emma slammed the door as she got out. Henry shrugged his shoulders. He placed his storybook on the seat and also exited the car.

"Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost," Emma paused to look at the clock tower. "Eight-fifteen?" Her last words sounded completely puzzled.

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here." It was a really obvious sign that something was wrong with Storybrooke. Henry knew there was more than enough money to fix it.

"Excuse me?"

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

Emma was beyond incredulous, "Hang on. The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here."

"Yeah. And now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?" Emma's tone was mocking.

Henry knew she didn't mean anything by it. It was hard to believe in the curse, but he was sick of everyone not listening. "It's true!"

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" Emma asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Henry thought of all the times he had seen people drive up to the line and then turn around urgently. "They can't. If they try, bad things happen."

"Henry!" A familiar voice interrupted. Henry sighed. Archie meant well, but he still needed to convince Emma that she was the savior. He couldn't do that if she had any more reasons to believe he was crazy.

"What are you doing here? Is everything all right?" Archie asked quickly crossing the street with Pongo in tow.

Henry knelt to pet the Dalmatian. He had always liked dogs. Regina would never let him get one though. She didn't want a thing like that dirtying her house. "I'm fine, Archie."

"Who's this?"

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma said, staring at Archie with her arms crossed.

"She's my mom, Archie."

"Oh. I see." Henry knew that in that moment Archie was thinking of all the conversations he had with Regina about how normal it was for adopted children to want to know more about their pasts. He was sure Archie regretted it now.

"You know where he lives?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure, just uh, right up on Mifflin Street; the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block."

Emma gave him a look. "You're the mayor's kid?"

Henry ducked his head. He knew just how much trouble Regina could cause for people. Henry didn't mean to cause problems. Emma just needed to be in Storybrooke. She needed to break the curse. "Uh. Maybe?

Archie broke the silence. "Hey. Where were you today, Henry, because you missed our session."

Henry tried to make his appointments seem as nonchalant as possible. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip."

Archie knelt to give Henry the advice only a conscience could. **"** Henry, what'd I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

It was moments like that when Henry was absolutely sure about the curse. He had seen those words printed on the page about one of the last council meetings before the curse.

Emma interrupted the meaningful exchange. "Okay! Well, I really should be getting him home."

"Yeah. Sure. Well, listen—have a good night, and uh, you be good, Henry." Archie said as he left to finish his walk with Pongo.

As much as he loved Archie, Henry knew this exchange wasn't helping his case.

"So that's your shrink?"

"I'm  _not_  crazy." He was right. Henry understood it sounded crazy, but he knew undeniably that something was very wrong in Storybrooke. His entire life had been proof.

"I didn't say that. Just that he doesn't seem  _cursed_  to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you," Emma reasoned.

"He's the one who needs help. Because he doesn't know."

"That he's a fairytale character."

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are." Henry turned and began to get back in the car. He needed to come up with some new plan so that Emma couldn't leave as soon as she dropped him off.

"Convenient. All right. I'll play." Emma opened up the driver's door. "Who's he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket"

"Right. The lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit."

Henry almost laughed, but he stopped himself and pretended to sound outraged. **"** I'm not Pinocchio!"

"Course you're not. 'Cause that would be ridiculous!"

The ride back to his house felt so long. It was only a few minutes but Henry already dreaded what would happen the second he got out of the car. He was definitely grounded for all eternity.

"Please you don't have to do this," Henry begged.

"Kid. This is just how it has to be." Emma pulled up in front of the white house on Mifflin Street. "This it?"

Henry merely grumbled.

Emma parked the car and looked at him expectantly. Henry huffed and got out of the car.

"Please don't take me back there." Henry could read her face a little better now. Emma seemed to like the situation less and less the more he begged. He felt a little bad for trying to guilt trip her, but it was a necessary evil. Emma needed to stay in Storybrooke. She needed to break the curse. And even if she hadn't done anything particularly motherly yet, he needed her. Anything would be better than the Evil Queen.

"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." Emma replied as she pushed open the gate.

Henry tried to not get frustrated but Emma just didn't understand anything. "I don't have parents. I just have a mom, and she's-evil."

Emma whipped around to face him. "Evil. That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

Henry looked at a spot on the ground and admitted. "She is. She doesn't love me; she only pretends to."

"Kid." Her voice was softer, an obvious attempt at comfort.

It didn't work. Henry tried to ignore the feeling of dread already spreading in his stomach. He was actually going to have to face Regina. He knew it had been a possibility (a very likely one if he had been honest with himself), but he never imagined what the meeting would actually entail. He'd probably be grounded forever. The next time he saw Paige she might actually look like she was thirty. And that didn't even take into account all the dirty dishes he would have to wash.

"I'm sure that's not true." Emma knelt to look him straight in the eye. Henry couldn't help but smile just a little bit. She was mothering him. He couldn't remember the last time Regina did something like this. Henry knew she tried, but Regina was always gone. The town was more important than he ever would be. She also would have been too scared about getting her perfect clothes dirty.

Almost as if Henry had summoned her by thinking about her, Regina burst through the door.

"Henry!" She ran towards him and pulled him into a very tight hug. "Oh Henry." She whispered into his hair. Her voice was slightly lower as if she had been crying. "Are you okay?" Regina patted him down looking for injuries. "Where have you been? What happened?" She squeezed him tighter.

Henry almost felt bad for his next words. He may not currently be on the best terms with this woman, but she still raised him. "I found my real mom."

Henry put on a burst of speed and ran into the house. He pushed past the adults and ran all the way upstairs to his room.

Why wasn't anything changing? Henry slid down the door so his back was keeping it firmly shut. Regina had a key to his room after all, and Henry certainly didn't want to talk to her now.

There was a knocking on the door. "Henry?" Graham's deep voice asked.

"Go away!"

"Henry, can I come in?"

Henry didn't answer. He really just wanted to be alone. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. His mother was supposed to want him instantly. Emma was supposed to love and hold him and take him away from the Evil Queen and tell him everything was going to be all right.

"Henry," Graham's voice was slightly softer now. "I know it's late but I think we should talk about this."

"I don't want to." Henry winced at how much those words made him sound like a little kid.

"I know." Graham's voice was empathetic, almost like he was talking to a wounded animal. "Your mom's just worried. I'm worried too. A little boy can get into a lot of trouble off on his own."

"I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are. I'd just be a lot more convinced if I could speak to you face to face instead of through a door."

Henry sighed. He pulled himself up and unlocked the door. "See I'm fine." He said giving the sheriff an impatient look."

"Was that so hard?" Graham's voice was joking and not nearly as patronizing as his words implied.

"I'm just tired."

"I can imagine. You've had a long day."

"Yep," Henry said, popping the p. "I just really want to go to bed."

"Okay." Despite his words, Graham took a seat on the bed. "You do know how dangerous it was to run off to Boston."

Henry nodded but Graham continued.

"There are all sorts of people in this world, Henry. Not everyone's looking out for your best interests and a little boy running around a big city by himself is definitely going to attract some interest."

"I know, but I had to-"

"Henry," Graham interrupted. "You never have to do anything. I'm sure you could have found a different way to meet your birth mother."

"Mom doesn't like talking about her." The words slipped out. It only took Henry a second to realize he had called Regina "Mom" again. It was just difficult. He wanted to stay detached. Since she was the Evil Queen, she had done terrible things and yet Henry still didn't want to hurt her.

"I don't think anyone likes to think they're being replaced."

"I'm not replacing her!"

Graham gave him a smile. "I know that. You know that, but I think it may take Madame Mayor a little longer to realize that."

"I just want to know where I come from." And Henry added silently to break the curse so people stop thinking I'm crazy and everyone can have their happy endings.

"We all do. It's just you have to remember how worried everyone was tonight."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"Well, I got a frantic call from your mother claiming you had been kidnapped. Brenna Sawyer demanded me to tell you that you and I quote 'Better not be doing anything stupid,' and to inform her as soon as we knew your whereabouts. A little miss Paige Grace was out searching for you in the rain and had to be sent back home before she got pneumonia. You-"

"Paige is okay though right?" Henry knew they had discussed the trip to Boston, so why had she gone out anyway.

"Your friends are perfectly fine Henry and I think you should get some sleep. You've had a long day."

"Thanks Sherriff Graham." Henry put his bag on the floor of the closet.

He could hear Graham loudly calling down the stairs, "Madame Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

Henry smiled and began to get ready for bed. He turned off most of the lights in the room before peering out the window. Henry could see when Emma left now. That way he would have some way to gauge when Regina would come upstairs. Now that was a conversation he definitely wanted to avoid.

Henry saw something else though. Something almost more important. The clock on the clock tower began to move. Time wasn't frozen anymore. Emma was starting to break the curse.

He heard the front door close. Henry gave Emma a smile before closing the curtain and turning off the light. He jumped away from the windowsill and climbed into his bed. He closed his eyes and laid perfectly still. He pretended to sleep.

Henry squeezed his eyes tighter when he heard his bedroom door open. Regina crept toward his bed. She gave a sigh of relief before running her fingers through his hair. "Don't ever scare me like that again," she whispered, as she gave him a kiss on the forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character note: Brenna will be important to the story. Henry just isn't quite sure about her yet. She still seems to him more like Paige's friend than his.
> 
> Timeline note: The Maggie of this chapter has not yet started looking for Alice.
> 
> The Elsa and Anna interaction happened a long time ago (think before Regina met Daniel). They have since grown up. You'll definitely see more of them, but I wanted to clarify. Elsa is also not going to make an appearance in Storybrooke anytime soon. She's still stuck in Rumple's vault.


	7. Brenna's Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friends want to interrogate Henry about his adventure to find Emma, but he isn't at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote (and posted on ff.net) this part before the 4A aired with all the Frozen extravaganza. I was trying to incorporate my favorite fairytale, The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, into OUAT and I added in some of the Frozen elements to be more recognizable. Gerda is a little village girl, not the sister who betrayed Ingrid.

Henry woke up earlier than usual. He was more than a little excited. He would get to see Emma again today. He would have to. He had left the fairytale book in her car on purpose. She would have to return it.

Henry threw on a blue shirt and looked around for his bag. He wasn't sure he wanted to go to school today. If he was in school, Emma could just drop off the book and leave. He would explain everything to Paige later, but now he was going to his castle.

* * *

Brenna was not a morning person. The only reason she was even up at this hour was because her bratty little sister, Claire, jumped on her bed. It had been a late night. She had talked briefly with Paige on the phone about Henry. It was what her parents called a special situation. On a normal night, she wouldn't have been allowed to use the phone past eight, but they had been almost as worried about Henry as she was.

Her parents were overprotective. They never seemed to trust anyone. "There's evil in the world," seemed to be their mantra. Brenna couldn't think of a reason why. Crime in Storybrooke was basically nonexistent. It wasn't like there was some underground mafia family or something. Sherriff Graham kept almost everything completely under control.

Brenna sighed, gave Claire one last glare, found her shoes (which never seemed to stay together or in the closet) and headed out the door. She would be early, but that only meant she would be able to interrogate Henry the second he was off the bus. He better have some good answers.

* * *

Paige yawned widely as she ate her cereal.

"I knew you were out to late last night." Her mother gave her a cross look before continuing to read the Storybrooke Daily Mirror.

"I'm fine. It's just early. " Paige took a long sip of tea hoping it would wake her up more.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay home? You could be catching a cold. It was awfully chilly last night and it was-"

"I'm fine," Paige asserted, slamming her mug back on the table. "Sherriff Graham gave me a ride home."

"I still don't like it. I'll be able to pick you up if you start feeling worse. Just ask Ms. Blanchard if you can use her phone."

"Mom you've got nothing to worry about.”

* * *

_Despite their parent's protest, Elsa and Anna had bonded rather quickly. It hurt that their own parents had tried to keep them apart, but Elsa knew they were only doing what they thought was right. They always did what they thought was right._

_Anna still couldn't enter the room and Elsa still couldn't leave it, but they made do. They talked a lot through the door. Sometimes Elsa read stories aloud or Anna shoved drawings she made under the door. Sometimes they played chess with two boards, one on each side so they could see what was going on, and talked through each of their moves. Most of the time, they just talked._

_Elsa loved teasing Anna. She loved hearing her sister burst into a fit of giggles. Elsa had always wished she had someone to talk to and now she did._

" _Do you think you'll ever get to come out?" Anna asked one day._

_Elsa paused. It was a question she asked herself a lot too. "Maybe. I'm dangerous. When I was really little, I created a storm that nearly sent Papa flying out the window. I think that's when they knew," Elsa paused. She didn't want to say it but she had to. "When they knew they needed another heir."_

" _Me. They needed me." Anna whispered like she was telling the greatest secret of all._

" _Yes. You." Elsa sighed. "They needed someone who could run Arendelle without scaring everyone."_

" _But you're not dangerous. Your curse is."_

" _Still. I am my curse."_

" _No. You're not. You're my big sister."_

* * *

Brenna was not a patient person by any means. Her hands were crossed tightly across her chest and she kept standing on tiptoe to try and pass the time quicker. The bus would show up any minute and Henry better be ready to do some major explaining.

At long last the yellow bus pulled in. A stream of students poured out. Brenna stood on tiptoe once again. It wasn't so much that she was short. There were just a lot of people. Luckily Paige's neon orange cast stood out pretty clearly. It only took a second for Brenna to realize that Paige was alone.

"Well, where is he?"

Paige tugged on her hair. "I'm not sure. He got in pretty late last night. Maybe he stayed home. "

Brenna scoffed. "You really think the Evil Queen would let him."

Paige shot her a look. "Of Course. She'd want to keep a close eye on him. Every mother cares about her child. If Henry isn't feeling well, he isn't going to come to school. "

Brenna looked over her shoulder before leaning in close. "You've seen how she acts around him. You really think she cares. She's not even his real mom."

"Um, yeah. I have been watching and therefore I know she does care. Anyway if Henry's right about the curse, none of us are living with are real parents."

"Let's hope he's right.”

* * *

_A small rock flew in through her window. Gerda quickly got off the bed and leaned out the window as far as she could to shout across the small alley._

" _Kay!"_

" _You'll never guess what happened!" The gleeful little boy shouted back._

" _You're going to help your father at the castle!" The two children lived in a small village nearby a very large castle. The castle had once belonged to King Leopold but now it was the domain of the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen was someone you avoided at all costs. If you even so much as looked at her funny, you were dead._

" _Better!"_

" _Your mom's making chocolate cake!"_

" _Even better!"_

" _What's better than chocolate cake?"_

" _Princess Snow White has taken back the castle!"_

" _You can't joke about something like that. What if the guards hear you?"_

_Kay laughed. "We never have to worry about them ever again." He raised his voice and lifted up his arms, "PRINCESS SNOW WHITE IS BACK!"_

* * *

Class was perfectly normal. Right before lunch, Miss Blanchard taught them how to make a birdhouse.

"Just like she does every Tuesday," Paige whispered.

Brenna shrugged. It didn't seem possible that they could have already learned how to make a birdhouse. Her own looked absolutely ridiculous. The roof was hanging at an awkward angle and the left side kept threatening to collapse. Then again, Paige's was picture perfect and she was awful at art, so maybe the curse was actually real.

"As we build our birdhouses, remember: what you're making is a home. Not a cage. A bird is free, and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures," Miss Blanchard let the little blue bird fly out the window. It was moments like this when Brenna thought that her teacher might just be Snow White.

"If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." There was something especially sad about those words. Brenna tried not to frown. 'I will always find you' was a phrase repeated over and over again in Henry's storybook. It was like a mushy catchphrase.

The bell rang and Brenna felt like running out of the room. She needed some fresh air. She couldn't be giving Henry's curse idea any serious thought. It would give her a headache. It was just ridiculous. She wasn't a storybook character. And it wasn't like she was missing out. Brenna wasn't anyone interesting, probably some random peasant. She'd rather be in Storybrooke where she had the Internet and friends. In the other land, Henry would be a prince (if he was even there) and Paige would be stuck in Wonderland unless there was more to the story than she knew. The Internet was also so much better than living in some hovel.

Brenna stopped in her tracks when she saw the Mayor enter the room. This couldn't be good. Seeing the Mayor was never a good thing. Some blonde woman was standing next to her. Brenna knew she would have to do something drastic if she wanted to know what was going on and she really did want to know. Despite the Mayor's put together façade, she was frantic and Henry was nowhere to be seen.

Brenna reached into her lunchbox to find anything that would give her more time. She pulled out a pear. Well, some kids gave teachers apples. A pear was almost the same thing. Brenna tapped Paige on the shoulder. Paige stopped staring at the blonde and glanced at her.

"Wait outside the door. It'll look weird if we both take a long time in here."

Paige looked like she was ready to protest so Brenna shoved her in the direction of their classmates. "It's either you wait outside the door or you wait at the special spot. Regina isn't going to say anything if you're in here."

Their special spot was one of the reasons Brenna knew Henry was wrong about the curse. Henry said that they had been frozen in time, that they lived the same days over and over again, that their memories should all blur together so that they never knew that they weren't getting older.

But Brenna remembered things. She remembered little bits about her childhood. She knew she tried to hide her chocolate birthday cake when she was six, so her parents would have to make another one. She knew that when she was eight, she had gotten lost in the forest on the edge of Storybrooke with Paige and that her parents had not let her out of their sight for two weeks. Brenna remembered the bench around the corner from the classroom, squeezed in a little alcove between the displays of Miss Thorne's students' art projects and the backdoor to the kitchen. The bench was the friend's special spot, a place where they could talk about anything whether it was small (pesky siblings) or big (the death of Brenna's cat). These were all the details that made Brenna so sure, Henry was wrong about the curse.

Brenna brushed the thoughts aside once again. Right now, the curse wasn't nearly as important as where Henry was. She approached Miss Blanchard, ignoring the Mayor and Sherriff Graham.

"Here Miss Blanchard. I brought this for you."

"Why thank you!" Her teacher smiled a very genuine smile. Brenna began to trudge away very slowly. She paused ever so slightly when the Mayor began to speak.

"Where's my son?"

So, Henry really was missing again. He better have one incredible explanation.

"Henry…I assumed he was home with you." Miss Blanchard was making what Brenna called the face. The face was slightly concerned but more nervous than anything. It was the same face she made when Anthony needed stitches after he had crashed his bike.

"You think I'd be here if he was?" Regina was absolutely livid. She made a gesture toward the blond woman. "Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?"

Brenna ignored the urge to look at the woman that would only draw attention to herself. They couldn't know she was listening. She silently went back to her desk and bag to search for her coat.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm…I'm his-" The blonde stammered.

The Mayor cut in "The woman who gave him up for adoption."

Brenna fought a smile as she rummaged through her stuff looking for an article of clothing she knew wasn't there. Henry had done it. He had found his birth mother.

"You don't know anything about this, do you?" The blond woman was perspective. Brenna knew that the woman had probably already noticed her. The door was wide open so she couldn't very well wait there.

"No, unfortunately not." Miss Blanchard began to search through her bag. She gave a small disappointed sigh _. "_ Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."

Brenna couldn't contain a smile at that. Miss Blanchard really had no idea what she unleashed when she gave Henry the book.

**"** What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" The Mayor shouted. Brenna wanted to groan. They had kept Operation Cobra (which in her opinion was a very silly name) a secret for so long.

Miss Blanchard rushed to explain, "Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative, and you saw how he was acting after his fight with Paige. He was  _lonely._  He needed it."

Regina began in a harsh voice, "What he needs is dose of reality." Brenna wanted to become invisible at the sound. The Mayor still didn't pay her any attention however. She began to stalk out of the room, knocking over a stack of books in the process. "This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip back to Boston."

Henry's birthmother knelt automatically to help Miss Blanchard pick up the books. Brenna contemplated making her escape now before she decided against it and made her way over to the older women.

Henry's birthmother tried to apologize for the Mayor's actions, "Sorry to bother you."

"No, it's-it's okay, I fear this is partially my fault."

Brenna wanted to shake her teacher. This was not her fault. The Mayor (the Evil Queen her mind added even if she didn't believe in the curse) never understood anything.

"I'm sure it's not. But I'm trying to find him." The woman paused, "What did you mean after his fight with Paige. Who's Paige?"

Brenna contemplated finding Paige now, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps as Paige all but ran into the room.

"I'm Paige," she said, catching her breath, walking further into the room and linking arms with Brenna. "And we're friends of Henry's"

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clarify, this chapter has taken place before Henry has the book. He has no idea Storybrooke is cursed or even a possibility. Paige is somewhat unique in the fact that she, like her father, would have at some point traveled to a land other than just the Enchanted Forest and ours, giving her some resistance to the curse. This would give her the ability to remember certain things other may not. She can't remember her own life before the curse, but she certainly has enough resistance to the curse to be able to remember Henry. And according to the Once Upon a Time wikia, her family truly is the Graces. I find it weird but apparently that's what's accepted.
> 
> This story will be very Henry centric. I want to look at the idea that children would be much more open to believing they're fairytale characters than adults would be. Let's be honest, growing up everyone wanted to be a princess, wizard, fairy or pirate. On that note, I will be adding characters to the Storybrooke cast, as besides Nicholas and Ava Zimmer (Hansel and Gretel), Paige and Henry, there are few named children. Character additions will include Little Boy Blue, Gerda and Kay (From the Snow Queen), Goldilocks and assorted peasant children including those who belong to the little old women who lived in a shoe.
> 
> I'm reposting this from it's current home on ff.net. What I have of the story is still available there. I'm just starting up my account here and am really making the transition over gradually.


End file.
